If Repub. congressmen make false statements to Obama, face to face, does it mean that they,

[Cal33]

themselves, believe what they are saying? I've known for a long time that
sociopaths' definition of "truth" is what is beneficial for them, and "a lie"
is whatever that's not beneficial for them or their cause. Whether something
has actually happened or not doesn't make the slightest bit of difference to
them.

They probably don't understand truth in the way we do. Otherwise, why would
they repeat these stupidities to Pres. Obama, himself, and on TV? It only provided
him with easy opportunities to refute their lies -- which only makes the
Repubs. look absurd! Would they do that deliberately? I doubt it!

From our point of view, they probably don't know the difference between a truth
and a lie -- except in the way they define them. Could that be a reason why we
find them to be such liars? Maybe think think we are such liars!

Between 2% and 4% of the general population is sociopathic. Although they
are found in all professions, the percentage is higher in certain
ones -- like business executives and politicians -- neocons in particular.

[MineralMan]

1. There is no question about there being sociopaths in

public office. I don't know the percentage, but many sociopaths are very convincing and personable. They smile at you while they're stealing your wallet. However, sociopaths know they are lying. They simply don't care, and will do it as long as the lie works.

Politics attracts more than its share of them.

[Cal33]

4. Yes, in politics lies power, and in business lies money. This

is what attracts sociopaths: money and power over others.
So there is a higher concentration of them in these areas.

[FarCenter]

2. Whatever made you think that people always tell the truth or that lying is sociopathic?

Most peopole lie routinely, either to smooth social interactions or to gain some advantage.

In some jobs, like sales, it is quite normal. Politics is a lot like sales.

Besides, most politicians are lawyers...

[Cal33]

7. I don't think people always tell the truth. But when they lie,

they know they are lying, and they don't feel comfortable about it.
Their consdiences bother them. A sociopath has a defective
conscience. Their consciences are not bothered.

By the way, this is what the "lie detector tests" are based on.
It shows up on the electroencephalogram (EEG). Sociopaths can
pass these tests with ease, because their consciences are not
bothered. Of course, a person can be trained to lie and not
to be bothered by it. That's why lie detector tests are not
100% fool-proof, although they are generally correct -- perhaps
95% of the time.

[FarCenter]

9. The polygraph, to the extent that it works, works by measuring physiological stress

The cause of the stress is either the extra mental work of fabricating and speaking the lie or the fear of being caught in a lie.

I don't think it has anything to do with a subjects conscience.

[Cal33]

14. There is also another, more recent, test using Magnetic

Resonance Imaging (MRI). Subjects are shown a movie involving cruelty,
torture, etc. In the average person, the negative emotions (such as
disgust, horror...) center of the brain becomes stimulated.
More blood goes to that particular area. This shows up in the MRI as
an enlargement of the arteries supplying that area of the brain.

In the sociopath (sociopaths have no empathy for people in trouble or
pain) there is no such change in their MRI. On the other hand, if they
are also sadists, the "pleasure center," which is located in a different
part of the brain, becomes stimulated. And this also shows up in the MRI.

This test is also not fool-proof, as people can be trained to pass it.

[SlingBlade]

3. They get an "AttaBoy" From their Base.

That's what they get. In the meantime Democrats whine about it
and talk about taking the high road while these fuckers rape
the middle class with the help of the better behaved, Democrats.

Quite the trade-off, Huh.

[Cal33]

8. You are right. I think Obama should have some mental

health professionals with expertise in sociopathy to counsel
and advise him on undestanding and how to cope with sociopaths.

[RDANGELO]

5. I think some of the politicians really do believe all the RW

talking points. You have Fox News watchers and Limbaugh listeners getting elected and making fools out of themselves. That's what happens when you run a party on tribalism and talking points.

[Cal33]

10. Yes. No doubt about it.

[11 Bravo]

6. It means that not only are they fucking liars, but they are brazen fucking liars.

Does this come as news to anyone?

[Cal33]

12. No, no surprise. Another name for sociopathy is " Anti-Social

Personality Disorder." It is a mental disorder. Hitler, Stalin,
Mao, Saddam Hussein ..... they all had it. I think sociopaths
should never hold any high positions, whether in government or
in private industry, because of the damage they can do. The
higher the position, the greater the harm they can cause - including
misery, suffering and deaths.

[anonymous171]

11. They aren't sociopathic. They are postmodern.

The GOP fully embraces the social construction of reality.

[boppers]

13. muwaHAHAHAHHAHA *snarfle*

Nice.

:evilgrin:

[Cal33]

15. Yes. They're really funny, aren't they?

[boppers]

16. Nah, I'd have gone with "self-deluded"...

But anonymous171 had a much more funny pomo/PC/academic way of saying "self deluded".

[depakid]

17. It means that they're Republicans who will say and do anything- what's new about that?

We're not talking about people who play by the rules here- all they care about is winning.